Last month I received an email from a representative of G2 Fitness telling me that you and I really needed to try out their fitness mats.

Right.

Normally, I delete those emails right away. You would not believe the amount of crap people want to send to you if they think you will promote it…..even in my teeny tiny little blog.

However, in the email, the rep mentioned that G2 fitness mats have a variety of stretches/yoga poses/pilates exercises printed on the surface of the mat.

Damn!

It was one of those smack yourself in the forehead , “Why didn’t I think of that” moments.

Simple idea. Anyone could have thought of it.

Potential great upside for a beginner and a good reminder for the trainee who tends to “forget” to stretch.

So, I emailed back and one week later, the delivery guy dropped off 2 new G2 fitness mats at my front door.

And that same day, I took mats to some of my clients for beta testing.

The Results

• The mats were well liked by all of my beta-testers.
• The pictograms were easily understood by all of the testers.
• All of the testers did more stretching than usual. Some felt that they needed to complete all of the stretches printed on the mat.
• Most liked the thickness of the mat (Thicker than a yoga mat – thinner than the standard “gym” mat)
• The stickiness of the mat was an issue. My clients who already use a sticky-foam yoga mat thought that the mat moved around when they changed stretches. The non-yoga mat testers never mentioned any issues with the G2 mat sliding around.
• Most didn’t like that the mat folded up for storage instead of rolling up. They thought it was too bulky and was less convenient.
• They all expressed concerns that the pictograms would fade with use.

My Conclusions

• I liked the mat. As an experienced trainee, I didn’t really need the pictograms, but I think that for beginner/intermediate stretchers, this is a great tool. And I am jealous that I didn’t think of it first.
• I like the thickness of the mat. Sometimes I find yoga mats too thin.
• I like the fact that they have 7 different types of fitness mats – yoga, golf stretch, maternity, pilates, general stretch, ab fitness and back stretch
• I had no issue with mat movement and I used it on a polished hardwood floor.
• I also found the folded mat a little cumbersome. It wouldn’t be very good for traveling to my personal training clients. Luckily, G2 makes a roll-up version of their yoga, pilates , maternity, pilates, ab fitness and general stretch. Same dimensions 6′ x 2′ x 10mm.
• Regarding the durability of the pictograms, G2 says that “testing has only gone for 1 year, so we can only guarantee forthat long, but there isn’t any sign that it won’t last for at least 5 years with regular use”.

Overall, I would have no problem recommending this product for any beginner/intermediate trainee looking to increase/improve their flexibility.

And that’s saying something, because I think most fitness equipment sucks.

So, if you’re interested, drop by the G2 website.

Disclosure – G2 sent me the mats free of charge. However, I made it clear that I would be 100% honest in my review of the product. And I was.

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